by Bella J
“Mind telling me what’s going between you and Mancuso?”
“There’s nothing to tell,” she replied while her eyes search my face.
“Judging by what just happened I’d say that’s one hell of lie.”
She narrowed her eyes and her delicious looking mouth turned up into a tiny little grin. “Detective Stone, are you jealous?”
“No.” Yes.
She bit her bottom lip, and I’m about two seconds away from losing my shit and fucking her right there against the damn concrete wall giving a whole new meaning to kinky exhibitionism.
Karina arches her back slightly, bringing her chest closer to me, and not even God himself can stop my gaze from dropping to her cleavage. Two full, round, beautiful pieces of flesh push up from her dress giving me a glimpse of what lies hidden beneath. Now I’m the one biting my lip since I can’t help thinking what it would feel like to push my cock through that slit between her tits.
“You’re staring.” She states the obvious.
“I am.”
“At my breasts.”
“Yes.” I don’t even try to deny it. She can slap me or punch me in the face, I don’t care. It would so be worth it.
“Lorik?”
I tear my gaze away from those glorious globes of perfection that are causing my palms to itch with the need to cup them.
Her dark, chocolate eyes lock onto mine. “What are you doing, Lorik?”
“You know what I’m doing.”
She shakes her head slightly, but it’s not enough to convince me.
“Karina, you feel it too, don’t you?” I ask, my voice lower than intended.
She lifts her chin boldly. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
I tighten my grip around her arm. “So your pulse isn’t racing right now with me standing this close to you?”
“No.” She swallowed. Liar.
I slowly drag my hand over her shoulder down her arm. There was no way I could miss the way her body trembled under my touch. “And your body isn’t screaming for me to touch you right now?”
“You are touching me,” she replied softly.
“I am. But you and I both know this isn’t the only way you want me to touch you.” I pressed my cheek against hers as I bring my lips closer to her ear. The sound of her labored breathing fills my ears, the warmth flitting across my neck. “Tell me, Karina. Tell me how you want to be touched.”
Her entire body is shuddering against mine and I wish we weren’t surrounded by people right now because then I’d make her scream and moan along with all that shuddering.
Karina moves her cheek against mine, and now it’s my turn to shudder as the soft feel of her skin makes me want to lose control more than anything.
“Why don’t you tell me how you want to touch me, Detective?” Her lips brush against my ear. Good God, it’s like a hurricane collided with a tornado, storming through my insides as I envision myself touching her exactly the way I want to, the way I need to.
Without giving it a second’s thought, I grabbed her hands and pinned them harshly against the wall above her head. The music was pulsing, people dancing and singing, the smell of sweat and sex swirling around us, adding to the already strong sexual pull between us.
She looked up at me, and I swear to God I felt her hips move. It was the slightest of movements, but I felt it nonetheless, and it was enough to make me groan in the back of my throat.
“Oh, Karina,” I rolled my hips giving her just the slightest feel of what I know her body craves. “Once I start, there’s not an inch of this perfect body of yours that will remain untouched.” And that’s the God’s honest truth. I want to experience every inch of her, feel every part of her body against mine.
Taking both her wrists in my one hand, I glide the other down her side until I feel the curve of her hip. “I want to touch you until you beg me to stop because your body just can’t handle the burn anymore.”
The softest of moans rolled over her lips and across my earlobe. I couldn’t stop myself from smiling. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you, Karina? For me to set your body on fire?”
She pushed her chest harder against mine, her breasts firmly pressed against me. Her lips moved against my cheek as she says, “My body is already on fire, Detective.”
Jesus Christ. My hand slips over her hip and down her ass. A deep, guttural moan escapes me when I dig my fingers into her flesh, pushing her harder against my now raging hard-on.
“Let me have you, Karina.” It was a goddamn plea. Right now I’d go on my fucking knees if it meant I could spread her goddamn legs.
I let go of her wrists wanting to cup her other firm ass cheek, needing to push her harder against me. Her hands fall to my shoulders and she slowly weaves her fingers through my hair at the back of my neck.
Both of us are breathing rapidly, and I almost lift her off her feet as I grip her ass harder, tighter between my fingers. We’re both already lost—lost in the moment, lost in each other. The harder I press against her, the tighter she grips my hair. I can’t stop myself from moving my hips, grinding my cock against her, wishing we were naked. Dry humping was never my style, but right now I was willing to settle for that.
“Lorik,” she says softly against my cheek, but it sounds more like a moan.
“I want you, Karina.” I lean back, ready to finally taste her. To feel her lips against mine as I claim her mouth with vehement strokes of my tongue. I don’t even care that Enzio and Antonio are in close proximity of us. All I care about is her, feeling her, having her, claiming her—fucking caging her.
I want her.
I need her.
I crave her.
And I will fucking have her.
She lifts her chin and I lean down, ready to have my first taste of Karina Valenti. So close, I can feel her warm breath against my wet lips.
“Lorik,” she says, and we both pause, the sudden silence hanging over us like a damn thunder storm. “We can’t do this,” she whispers, and I immediately have this overwhelming urge to throw her over my shoulder, spank her and then kidnap her to a place where I can be buried inside of her twenty-four-seven.
Karina places her hands on my chest and looks down. “I can’t do this with you, Lorik. Not with you.”
Motherfucker! Goddammit!
Shit!
“Karina.”
She nudges lightly against my chest. “I’m sorry. I have to go.” Then she slips away from me, leaving me to rest my head against the cold, hard wall.
Fuck me. I can hardly catch my goddamn breath leaning like a loser against the wall with an aching cock the size of fucking Japan. What in the name of ever loving fuck just happened? I totally lost it. I completely lost myself…in her. It was insane, it was stupid, it was reckless…and it sure as fuck needed to happen again.
When I finally managed to grab ahold of just a shred of control I turned around, taking a deep breath. And then I saw him—Enzio Mancuso standing a few feet away looking freaky as shit while he stared at me. Did he see what just happened between Karina and me? How long has he been standing there like a fucking vampire in the shadows?
An epic stare-off took place between us for what seemed like ages before he finally shot me an arrogant grin and walked off.
Whatever the fuck that was, it sure as shit wasn’t good.
Chapter 10
KARINA
The half hour trip home felt like it lasted half a day. The silence was excruciating. Even Dante, who couldn’t go ten minutes without talking was eerily quiet the entire way. It didn’t take a genius to know that Antonio was busy simmering, building and building up to a full blown rage. He hated Enzio. He hated all the Mancusos for that matter, which was why Dante was the only person I ever told about Enzio and what happened between us. Sure, for the first twenty minutes after I finally told him everything, Dante wanted to slit Enzio’s throat—among other very disturbingly painful things. But I managed to make him promise he wouldn’t do any
thing, or say anything to anyone. Dante has kept my secret for four years, but tonight that egg finally got cracked wide open.
It didn’t have to be spelled out for Antonio to figure out there was a kind of history between me and Enzio. God, I hate myself. I hate myself for ever falling for Enzio’s lies. For being so naïve and stupid that I actually believed a man like him could have a good side—a heart. If I had just been stronger I would have spared myself all those long nights of crying, not to mention the embarrassment.
I leaned my head against the window and watched the city lights forming a straight line of yellow as Dante sped down the streets. This was supposed to be his night, his birthday. And now because of me it’s ruined. It wasn’t even midnight yet and we were already on our way home. Probably not what my brother had in mind for his birthday celebration.
“I’m sorry, Dante,” I muttered, not lifting my head off the window.
“Sorry, Dante?” Antonio sneered. “You’re apologizing to Dante?”
I lift my head and look at him while he’s still staring out his passenger side window. “Who should I be apologizing to?”
Finally Antonio turned in his seat and looked at me. “How about the entire damn family?”
“For what?” I ask heatedly.
He shrugged. “Oh I don’t know. For embarrassing the family. For putting the family name to shame.”
“Antonio, stop,” Dante chimed in, but I leaned forward and placed my hand on his shoulder.
“No, it’s okay.” I glare at Antonio. “Tell me, dear brother, what is it that you think I did that put our family name to shame?”
“Please, Karina. It was pretty clear what happened between you two. And the cop? You’re fooling around with a cop? Do you really feel so little for our family values, for our rules?”
And that’s the moment I finally lost it.
“Our family values? Our rules? You mean your rules. Yours and Dad’s rules.”
“Rules that were put in place for our protection.”
“Protection from what?”
“From our enemies,” he says irately.
“Our enemies? I’m sorry, Antonio, but the how the hell do your enemies become mine? Just because all of you choose to live this life does not mean that I’m a part of it.”
“You are a part of it,” he raises his voice, his dark eyes wild with anger. “You are a part of this fucking family, so that makes you a part of everything.”
I leaned back in my seat and crossed my arms in front of my chest. “Why do you think I’ve tried to get as far away from this family as possible for the last four fucking years?” Unfortunately once I started, I couldn’t stop. “Because everywhere I go I’m nothing more than a Mafia princess, the big boss’s daughter, and the little sister of a Valenti Underboss. I want my own goddamn life, to live by my own rules, but thanks to all of you, I will never be able to do that.”
I didn’t even realize that I was practically screaming out that last part, until I noticed Antonio staring at me like I just morphed into a three-headed alien.
I take a deep breath and sink back into the seat placing my hand on my forehead. This was exactly why I didn’t want to come home. Everything always goes haywire whenever I’m around my family.
Antonio turned back and looked out over the road. “What happened between you and Enzio?”
I closed my eyes and exhaled. “You’re the genius, why don’t you tell me?”
“I’m serious, Karina.”
“So am I.”
“Both of you, stop,” Dante bellows.
“And the cop?” Antonio asks, blatantly ignoring Dante.
“Oh my God!” I pull my palms down my face in frustration. “There is nothing going on with the cop. Enzio was being a jerk and Lorik just—”
“Lorik?” Antonio interrupts. “So you’re on a first name basis with the cop now?”
I gaped at him, partly because I can’t believe he’s giving me the third degree…and also because I have nothing to say to that. Nothing. There is no way I can explain how Detective Stone and I suddenly got to a first name basis. It just kind of happened. Great, now I’m confused.
Again I turn my gaze out the window, flat-out ignoring Antonio and his dark stare of disapproval. Now that I said his name, Lorik is all I think about. When he pinned me up against that damn wall I wanted nothing more than for him to tear my clothes off like a damn caveman. The way his dark eyes raked over my face, the look of pure sexual hunger reflecting in his hazel irises—it made everything south of my navel pulse with need.
God, I need to get him out of my mind. I take my phone out of my purse, and then I immediately stop breathing. There’s Lorik’s face in a tiny little bubble in the corner of my screen signaling a new message—from him. My heart isn’t beating, no, it’s pounding against my ribs like it wants out. Like it needs air.
I take a deep breath then hesitantly click on the icon and up pops the message.
21 Unity Ct #3. Let’s finish what we started.
Oh my God, did he just send me his address? Holy shit. My heart just literally tried to force its way up my throat, my stomach close behind it. And right on fucking cue I rubbed my thighs together thinking about everything he made me feel back at the club, when he was literally inches away from kissing me. Every fiber of my being wanted to taste his lips, wanted to know what his tongue would feel like dancing with mine. I wanted him to pin me against that wall with his hard body until I became one with the damn concrete. For a few seconds we were completely swept up by the moment, utterly captivated by each other. But when I felt his warm breath against my wet lips, knowing that I was a split second away from tasting him, I stopped. I was too consumed, too entranced by him, by what I was feeling, and the last time I felt that way I made the worst mistake of my life—a mistake that would one day come back to haunt me.
I glanced at Antonio, thinking about the anger and disappointment he must be feeling. It seemed like that day has come, the day that the biggest mistake I ever made would come back to taunt me.
When I looked back at my phone I let my finger hover over the keyboard. Everything inside me was screaming for me to go to him, to take what I needed from him. To forget about all the rules and live my life for me, for what I wanted—even if it was just for one night.
But I can’t.
Unfortunately my life is not my own. I might not agree or like the rules we are forced to live by, but this was my family. Was I so selfish that I would jeopardize everything, risk hurting my family just because of one detective who had the undeniable talent of getting me wet and needy with a single fucking glance?
No. Yes.
Shit.
Dante parked the car in front of the house and switched off the ignition. The heaviness of the silence around the three of us was slowly suffocating me, and I couldn’t stay in the damn car any longer.
I opened the door and got out. Antonio jumped out and called me. “Karina, wait.”
“What?” I snapped, and turned to face him.
The sullen look on his face gave me this weird feeling of warning that moved across the back of my neck.
“Dad needs to know.”
I frowned. “Excuse me?”
He closed the passenger side door and started toward me. “Dad needs to know about whatever happened between you and Enzio.”
“Antonio, man,” Dante starts, “don’t be an asshole.”
Antonio looked at Dante. “An asshole? Am I being an asshole for trying to protect the family?”
Dante slammed his door shut. “No, you’re being an asshole for not wanting to protect your damn sister.”
“That’s what I’m trying to do!” Antonio bellowed.
“No, you’re not. You’re being an ass.”
“Fuck you, Dante. You see, that’s your problem. You don’t have a fucking loyal bone in your body, so how the hell can you understand my motivation when it comes to our family?”
Dante rushed toward Antonio only stoppi
ng a few feet away from him. His eyes were wild, angry orbs staring at Antonio like he wanted to tear his head off. “Loyal? You think you’re being loyal right now, Antonio?”
“Yes,” Antonio answers without hesitation. The tension is so thick right now, I’m about ninety-nine percent sure that this night is going to end with my two brothers beating the shit out of each other. And it wouldn't be the first time. Antonio and Dante struggled to see eye to eye. Antonio could never understand Dante and his lack of loyalty toward the family, while Dante could never understand how Antonio could let his loyalty rule his life.
Dante gave an intimidating step toward Antonio, and it felt like my heart was about to rip through my chest.
“She’s you’re fucking sister, Antonio. You have no idea what that son of bitch did to her, yet you’re standing here wanting to expose her wounds, her shame for everyone to see…for Dad to see. Where’s the fucking loyalty in that?”
Antonio stepped back and looked at me with the most bewildered expression on his face. Then it chose that exact moment to start raining, like mother nature thought the cold, hard drops of water would be the perfect kind of ambience for this epically disastrous scene that was about to unfold.
My tears threatened to escape, and I had to bite the insides of my mouth to keep myself from crying.
“What did he do to you, Karina?” Antonio asked softly, his eyes wide with concern.
I couldn’t look at him, so I let my gaze drop to the ground beneath my feet and wrapped my arms around my chest. I knew what he had to be thinking, and it was nothing like that. It was worse. For four years I carried this burden, knowing that my mistake would one day come out in the open. And here I was, unable to keep my secret any longer.
Antonio moved closer. “Karina, did he—”
“No,” I interrupted him. “No, he didn’t.” I still couldn’t look at him. The guilt was too much, tearing at my soul. Admitting this to Antonio was about just as bad as it would be admitting it to my father.